Pharrell Reminisces On First Solo Record, Salutes Women With 'G I R L'

Pharrell has successfully replaced caffeine with his joy-to-the-world anthem "Happy." While the Grammy-winning beatsmith has much to brag about, from his forthcoming Oscars gig to inspiring folks of all ages across the country to get their dance on, he still eats a daily serving of humble pie.

In an exclusive for GQ, the Happiest Man on Earth discusses his latest solo effort G I R L and how the guy who once called himself a "nice dude with some nice dreams" aspired to be like Diddy and Hov back in the day.

“I wrote those songs out of ego. Talking about the money I was making and the by-products of living that lifestyle," he said while reminiscing on his 2006 album In My Mind. "What was good about that? What’d you get out of it? There was no purpose. I was so under the wrong impression at that time.”

He continues, “The money was too loud. The success was too much. The girls were too beautiful. The jewelry was too shiny. The cars were too fast. The houses were too big. It’s like not knowing how to swim and being thrown in the ocean for the ?rst time. Everything is just too crazy. You’re like, ?ailing and kicking and whatever, and you know what happens, don’t you? You sink. My spirit sank. I just felt like, ‘Fuck, what am I doing?’ ”

“That was just bragging. I wanted to be like Jay. I wanted to be like Puff. Those are their paths. I got my own path. But I didn’t know what my path was. I knew that I was meant to do something different. I knew that I needed to inject purpose in my music.”

As far as his groovy new LP G I R L is concerned, he salutes the gender who has held him down since day one.

“I instantly knew that the name of the album was called G I R L, and the reason why is because women and girls, for the most part, have just been so loyal to me and supported me," he explains.

“There is no breathing human being on this planet that did not bene?t by a woman saying yes twice. Yes to make you, and yes to have you. Point-blank.”

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TLC's Chilli is sending love and light to Cardi B amid the rapper's recent break up with Offset. In a new interview with People, Chilli praised the rapper for handling her public situation much better than she handled her break up with Usher in 2003.

"I have gone through a public breakup, and it is not easy," Chilli, whose real name is Rozanda Thomas, said referring to her split from Usher. "When strangers know your business and want to chime in while you’re still dealing with the pain yourself, it’s difficult. Breakups are hard on anyone, but can you imagine if strangers knew your business? It’s rough."

Thomas also claimed that Cardi was "braver" than she was as she "just sort of shut down" when her two-year relationship to the R&B crooner ended. "I am proud of her for being strong and standing up for herself during a time that is obviously a very hurtful one," she continued. "She has a strong sense of self. That’s why fans have connected with her this way. She talks about her highs and lows; she is fearless."

Later in the interview, Chilli suggested that she would be open to working with Cardi on new music. "I don’t usually like to collaborate with females, and the reason why is because of Lisa," she added. "That is just a little weird for me, personally. But I think with Cardi B, she is an exception to the rule. TLC and Cardi B all day long. We’ve gotten a lot of love from Cardi. It’s really an honor."

Childish Gambino wrapped his This Is America Tour in Los Angeles on Monday (Dec. 17) with a special tribute to his father, Donald Glover Sr. The multi-talented artist revealed that his dad passed away a couple of weeks ago, and commemorated his life by previewing a new single.

"I lost my father a couple weeks ago," he announced in a video that was posted on Reddit. "I wanted to play him some of the new songs, but he didn't want to hear them, because he was like, 'I know they're going to be great.'"

He added: "I'm not saying that to talk about music — I say that to talk about trust. That's what love is. I hope you guys get to feel that kind of love."

He later previewed one of the songs he wanted to share with his dad, as seen in a video a fan posted on Twitter. The song sounds like an uptempo tune with heavy horn instrumentals.

The announcement comes shortly after Gambino returned to the stage after suffering from a foot injury. Ahead of the tour, the "Feels Like Summer" rapper also announced that his next album would be his last project under the moniker Childish Gambino. It's unclear if the new track will appear on the final album.

Comedy duo Desus & Mero have kept their brand strong since joining forces in 2012 but the newly-appointed CEO of Vice believes their move to Showtime wasn't the best decision.

In an interview with Elle, Nancy Dubuc shared her plans to rebuild the outlet since reports of sexual harassment allegations, unlawful HR practices and the stepping down of Shane Smith came to light this year. Changing the bro culture has removed content and replacing it with more substantial content and finding gems that will also replace the gap left by Desus & Mero.

The guys brought high ratings to the network during their reign from August 2016 to June 2018, but Dubuc doesn't see this happening for their upcoming series at Showtime. “They’re going to a platform that their audience doesn’t pay for,” she said. “I told them, ‘You can always come back.’”

In an interview with Bossip over the summer, the guys revealed their contracts were cut two months early after news about their deal with Showtime went public. They show consisted of the two commentating on the latest in politics and pop culture while interviewing big names like Gabrielle Union, Rachel Maddow, Diddy, Vic Mensa and Tracee Ellis Ross. They also opened up about their organic approach in comedy was nearly butchered when the network demanded them to work 24/7.

“We were carrying that network on our back, and we felt the weight,” Desus said. “They were talking about, ‘Do not take the weeks off because we don’t get ratings,’ and it’s like, 'Yo, we’re just two people.'”

“We were literally the LeBron of that network,” Mero added. “As a dad, you wanna be around for milestones for like graduations, birthdays…and it’s obnoxious to have to be like, ‘I can’t go to my kid’s graduation because we leave the studio at 3 o’clock and the graduation is at 4.’”

Mero believed the duo were undervalued and not appreciated by the network until it was too late. Their brand transcended platforms as the guys are still active on Twitter and their podcast roots, taking the brand to new heights.

“The channel wanted us to die for this f**king network,” Desus said at the time. “We’re also the highest rated show on the network, put some respect on our name, have someone come massage my feet.”

We doubt the duo will go back to Vice as excitement for their series on Showtime continues to grow. The guys are already making strides by adding black women to their writing team and recently dropped a teaser for the show.

The brand is strong. #DESUSandMERO are bringing the culture to #Showtime beginning Thurs, Feb 21, at 11p/10c! #BodegaHive pic.twitter.com/3DwcWXgrEO